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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25664680">Free at last</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/gidget_84/pseuds/gidget_84'>gidget_84</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Vampire Diaries (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, Doppelganger, Draining, F/M, Freedom, Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 03:40:16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,210</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25664680</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/gidget_84/pseuds/gidget_84</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For ceres wish prompt, at The Vampire Diaries Free-For-All Comment Ficathon: part 4; prompt was Klaus/Elena -She pretended to be Katherine, and managed to fool everyone but him. I changed it to Vamp!Elena/Klaus</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elena Gilbert/Klaus Mikaelson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>34</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Free at last</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She’d had enough of being the one that everyone worries about, the one that everyone wanted to save; the martyr Elena.</p><p>She’d save herself this time.  Not because she cares about dying (martyr remember), but because she’s tired of everyone taking that choice away from her. Why do they get to choose who lives and who dies? Why do they get to choose if she lives or dies?<br/>
--------------------</p><p>It was so easy to become like Katherine.  The second doppelganger that existed (that she knows of). The one that ran away from Klaus and Elijah, only to kill herself, only to get herself turned (well Katherine is a martyr too then-except she chose her own death).<br/>
---------------------</p><p>Katherine’s a survivor. How many times had Katherine said this to her and to others?  “Watch out for yourself Elena”; “You are your number one priority”; “I’m the safest psychotic bitch in town”; “Love is a vampire’s greatest weakness”. The last hadn’t been directed at her of course, but then again, maybe Katherine could tell the future.</p><p>Maybe she knew what would become of her. Maybe Katherine knew she’d end up as a vampire. Because love is a vampires greatness weakness, her current predicament a testament of that (Why Meredith? Why Stefan? Why Damon? Why, why why?)</p><p>She had wanted to die in peace. That is one of the reasons she wanted Matt to be saved from the wreck, and not herself. She had realized in those last moments of her life, that it had come full circle.</p><p>She dies in a car wreck, drowning, just like her parents did. Just like she should have all those years ago. If not for love being a vampire’s greatest weakness, she’s guessing Stefan would have left her there to drown.<br/>
------------------------</p><p>All she needs to do is not straighten her hair; it’s always been naturally wavy. She can already walk the walk. That seemingly effortless prowl, that grace, that sultry movement of swaying her hips from side to side; like a model walking down a run-way.  Easy.</p><p>The worst is being able to talk the talk. She’s not Katherine. She’s not her own number one priority. Her compassion and empathy for others would give her away immediately.</p><p>So she becomes a survivor. Little by little, she teaches herself not to care so much, and learns how to get whatever she wants with just an easy smile and a bat of her eyelashes. Even though she’s a vampire now, she will not compel anyone.</p><p>That is one thing she cannot emulate.<br/>
------------------------</p><p>After she has learned how to control her vampiric urges, after she has taught herself everything she needed to know to become like Katherine, without resorting to violence or killing or draining people dry; She’s ready. She’s ready to be the safest psychotic bitch in town. Or at least the safest bitch in town.<br/>
--------------------------</p><p>She leaves Mystic Falls one night, only to come back a week later; full of confidence that she can pull this off.</p><p>She walks the walk and talks the talk. She fools everyone. Even Stefan, even Damon.  She lets Damon (the most vulnerable-the tin man) “capture” her. She explains that she had come for Elena and that Elena had went away with her.</p><p>She explains that one of Klaus’s hybrids had mistaken Elena for her one night (after all, she is Katherine now) and killed her. She is only back to let them know.</p><p>He breaks down. She has that feeling of sympathy and compassion swirling in her mind and body, but she can’t, she won’t let it get to her. She’s not that girl anymore. She will not break down and hug him tight, tell him everything will be okay.<br/>
-------------------------</p><p>Everyone wants to know where Elena’s body is (her body). She tells them she burned her, set her aflame, ashes to ashes and dust to dust, because it’s what she (I) wanted. </p><p>They are all beyond grief, beyond loss. They have become shells of themselves and numb in only a matter of days. Damon and Stefan of course want revenge.</p><p>But she tells them it’s useless, she (Elena/Katherine) already got revenge. She killed that Hybrid, grabbing its heart from its ribcage and squeezing until every last drop of blood had hit the ground.  She doesn’t grieve with them; of course, as Katherine, she’s not expected to.<br/>
--------------------------</p><p>She has noticed that all of the Originals have fled town. All except for Klaus. The only one that truly and will probably forever frighten her. This is an easy game to play though, because Katherine was terrified of him as well, running to the ends of the earth to escape him. </p><p>He doesn’t seem so interested in killing her (Katherine) anymore though. Doesn’t say it in so many words, but he doesn’t come after her; doesn’t even threaten her. Pretends to grieve over the loss of blood that bore and fueled his hybrids; he can no longer make an army.<br/>
----------------------------</p><p>It isn’t until she’s knocked out and tied to a chair, with needles and tubes coming out of every vein, her blood slowly leaving her body; that she realizes he’s known all along.  He knows she’s not Katherine, never was Katherine.  </p><p>He taunts her, tells her she’s the stupidest bitch there ever was, to think “She could ever fool him”.  She doesn’t even try to deny it; He had chased Katherine for centuries, how could he not tell the difference. How could he not know who was really Katherine, and who was just a paper-cut copy, a mere shadow of the second doppelganger.</p><p>---------------------------<br/>
In the short time she’s learned to become like Katherine, she’s also realized that he is the only true enemy she has left.</p><p>------------------------------</p><p> </p><p>She becomes woozy and her eyes start to un-focus. She starts to plead with him, as she realizes this is it. He will drain her dry until she is nothing left but a husk.</p><p>He knows she’s a vampire, “what could her blood do for him now?”  He laughs that terribly cruel laugh and says it doesn’t matter. He just wants revenge on Katherine still, and she’s the perfect replica, the perfect candidate.</p><p>If he can’t kill Katherine, he will take his years of torment (that bloody curse-he calls it) out on her, even if she’s not her. He doesn’t care anymore. After-all, isn’t she blood of Katherine’s blood? She’s perfect for this, the perfect copy.</p><p>The perfect crime too; because no one will come after him for killing “Katherine”; no one cares anymore for her.</p><p>When she’s drained of every last drop, her vampiric-essence, if you will, continues to hang on. She feels like a weak maniac starved for blood in this chair. She cannot get free; even if she could, all she could manage is maybe crawling on the floor, maybe not even that.</p><p>Klaus kisses her goodbye, bruising her mouth if he could, but there is no blood left to form a bruise. He pushes his hand into her chest, feels her heart barely beating (she feels barely anything at all) and slowly pulls it from her chest. He holds it up for her to see. And in those last few moments she can smile at him, and thank him, for at last setting her free.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thanks for reading! Any comments and kudos are greatly appreciated 😊. You can find me on tumblr under finnismyoriginalsin.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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